Early Or Late?
by Claire Blanc
Summary: As Emma finds out about her sudden feelings for the now dead Sheriff, she begins to see love in a different way. Feeling confident with relationships, she decides to try out a long lasting one instead, and searches for the right man. But when Emma finds out that Sheriff Graham is still alive and faked his death for some unknown reason, she becomes confused on what to do next.
1. A Little Too Late

**Chapter 1: A Little Too Late**

Their lips were barely about to touch, just centimeters away from each other. Her eyes gazed down to his mouth, the mouth which was surrounded by a short beard. She flashed her eyes up when he stopped moving closer. His eyes began to go cloudy.

His knees stopped holding his weight and he fell, lighting grabbing the desk for a moment and collapsing onto the cold floor. Panic shot through her body like a rocket and she fell the the floor, grasping him as she tried to wake him up. It was too late.

She felt tears run down her cheeks and saw each one land on his leather coat. She held tight onto the ends of his jacket and she shook him, hoping that he'd just peak at her. She quickly felt for a pulse, but with no luck.

"No. No. No. This can't be happening." She said in between sobs. She began crying harder, tears welling up in her eyes. Her vision was blurry and her eyes were hot. The body that lay on the ground looked like a pile of clothing, just sitting their for observation.

She grabbed her phone off the desk, hoping that someone could help her. She quickly clicked on a number, not knowing who it was.

"Hello?" A female voice asked. It was Mary Margaret.

"Help..." she could barely muster the word. Hard tears fell from her cheeks and her sobs began to sound louder. "Help..." She said again.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked worried.

"Help..." She said again. "Police station..." She mustered the location and her phone dropped onto the ground next to him. She cried harder, letting loose her sudden feelings for the former chief. She could feel her lungs burning, gasping for air, but she didn't breath. Part of her wanted to go, but most of her wanted to stay.

She stared at his face, the one she had barely figured out that she'd fallen in love with. She stroked his face, tears dropping onto his cheek as she leaned over him. She pushed her fingers through his hair, something that she wanted to do since they had last kissed. On impulse, she collapsed beside him, laying her head on his shoulder and crying on it as if he were breathing. She desperately wanted his arm to move and wrap around her. She wanted his lips back on hers, where they belonged.

She couldn't believe his fate. It was horrible he had to die, let along die at such a young age. She sat up, hearing a car door shut loudly and stared at his face, wiping of the remaining tears not only only his face and jacket, but under her eyes as well. A single tear fell off her chin as the door swung open.

"Oh my God.." Mary Margaret said, rushing over to his side to check his pulse. It was the same as before. Gone. He was gone. Dead. Demolished. She sat there, still awestruck as Mary asked her questions. She tuned them out.

She stared at the lifeless body, thinking that it was suddenly all her fault. It was. She didn't save him.

She got up, ignoring Mary's comments and concerns not only for her, but for the body and left. She ran out the door, her tears falling down her face which seemed to follow her everywhere.

This wasn't like her. She had never had feelings like this. She thought she never would. She sobbed out loud as she ran down an empty alley and collapsed onto the hard pavement. She curled up into a ball and cried, feeling her tears soak into her dark jeans.

She had been in love with him. She was in love with him. She calmed down, silent tears running down her face. She lost the person she loved.

She _loved_ him. She loved _Graham_. Emma Swan loved Sheriff Graham, and she had realized that a little too late.


	2. Miserable Sleep

**Chapter 2: Miserable Sleep**

Emma closed the door behind her, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. She had made it through the funeral without breaking down, which for her would've been tragic since she barely knew him let alone did the town know that. Most of the town was there, except for the few like Leroy and Regina. Regina's absence surprised Emma, seeing that Graham ended up in her bed most of the night's she was off duty. But then again, as Graham said, he had no feelings for Regina and maybe Regina had finally picked up what he was laying down.

She dropped her jacket on one of the dining chairs and unattached her badge, lying it on the table and walking to the kitchen to grab a drink. She took a random bottle from her stash of alcohol and poured it in a glass cup, gulping it all down. She sighed and sat down at the table and stared blankly at the wall.

A tear ran down her face. How _did _she make it through the funeral? Another tear fell and dripped of her chin onto her black shirt. She gulped, trying her best to hold in the tears, but they were unstoppable. More tears came, millions it seemed dripping of her chin each minute. She couldn't hold them in any longer.

She laid her head on the table, letting her tears form into a puddle of salty water. She sobbed hysterically, hiccuping a few times after each batch of tears and loud sobs. Sadness and grief came at her like waves, hitting her then falling then coming back. Thoughts began running through her mind, covering up the happiness and understanding and showing the grief and sadness and anger she was feeling at the same time.

_Why couldn't you save him? Why did you refuse him? Why didn't you accept him the way he was? _

She sobbed harder, listening to her conscience ask her more questions. She thought back to the look of everyone's faces at the funeral. Mary Margaret crying on Emma's shoulder as she looked at the dull, wooden casket. Gram spilling a few tears as she stood by Ruby who looked sadly at the ground. A group of unfamiliar people crying together hysterically as they pointed out the faults in the ceremony.

Emma wondered what Graham's parents were feeling at that moment and why they weren't their for their son's funeral. No one seemed to be related to Graham, which saddened Emma even though if it was her it would be the same.

She poured another glass and gulped it down, hoping to cause the pain that she didn't know how to control. She hated being so helpless with her emotions at that moment. She stared at the tall bottle, tears still running down her pale face. She stared at the bottle miserably as she closed it and stood up, walking to the kitchen and putting away the bottle and glass.

She cleaned up her tears on the table and sighed, wiping off her face with her hands. She felt miserable and tired as she went to her bedroom. It was a quarter till midnight until she stopped crying and finally began to sleep, but she wasn't alone. Mary Margaret sobbed in the room next to her as she read over a few speeches that she had written for the burial the next day.

Emma closed her eyes as she began to hear quiet sniffles next door. She felt her heart ache as her last tear fell onto the bed sheets. It was quiet for the rest of the night, and Emma couldn't have gotten a better, miserable sleep.


	3. Dr Hale

**Chapter 3: Dr. Hale**

_Three Months Later..._

"So, where do you live exactly? City wise anyway." Emma faked a smile as the doctor in front of her stuttered a little.

"I don't really live place, I mostly stay for a while, but I'm hoping to change that. Currently...a little town named Storybrooke."

"Oh, never heard of that, where is it?" He asked. Emma thought.

"Maine, of course, but farther up north than usual." Dr. Hale laughed.

"I don't think anyone could go up too far north."

"You might want to think about that." The two laughed as they continued eating. Emma dug through her salad and sipped her red wine every few moments to make it less awkward for not only her, but the doctor.

"Anything else I should be aware about? Married? Divorced? Dating?" Emma laughed.

"Now you sound like me. Nothing like that, more like I have a ten year old that I'm currently attempting to get back, but that's not that important to you.."

"No, no! Go on. There has to be an interesting story behind it." Emma smiled.

"Not really, I mean besides him finding me after ten years and bringing me to Storybrooke there's not much I can explain."

"He found you?"

"Yeah, its...complicated."

"Well, maybe you'll tell me again on our next date?" He said in a questioning voice.

"Did I already scare you away?" Dr. Hale laughed.

"No, I just have an operation to give to this little girl. Poor thing, her kidney's are failing."

"Oh, that's terrible." Emma said, smiling a sad smile at the doctor. "Well, I wish you both good luck." Dr. Hale laughed and took out a card and passed it to Emma.

"Well, thank you." He said smiling. "Call me when you get a chance and we can maybe have dinner again." Emma smiled and Dr. Hale quickly paid the bill, leaving Emma sitting alone at the table. She sipped down the rest of her wine quickly, making sure she didn't leave a drop in her glass and picked up her borrowed jacket from Mary Margaret.

She stood up, putting the jacket on and went outside as she called Mary Margaret.

"Finished already?" Mary said. Emma could tell that she was smiling.

"He had an operation to go do on a little girl." Emma said.

"How sweet." Mary said. Emma walked around the car and slid into the drivers seat. "Oh my God, it's already nine. I'm going to go okay?"

"Sure, have fun stalking David."

"I'm not stalking David, and you're going to tell me all the details when you get back."

"Sure, after I have a few more drinks."

"You and you're bottles will never separate will you?"

"Never. Dr. Hale and I...maybe."

"Okay, I gotta go! Bye!" Mary Margaret hung up and Emma laughed. Maybe letting down her walls and actually loving someone was the best idea at that moment, or at least the cure for forgetting about Graham.


End file.
